A bit of cheekiness about the common nay-saying homeschoolers often face. I just got a little chuckle out of a few of them and thought you all might find it amusing too. Not to be taken too seriously. Happy Friday!
The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List
by Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling, Issue #1, Fall 2007
http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html
1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?
2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.
3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.
4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.
5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.
6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.
7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.
8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.
11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.
12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.
13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.
14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.
15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.
16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.
17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.
18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.
19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.
20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.
21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.
22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.
23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.
24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.
25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Post Office: Pics of our Home Post Office
We put together our little home post office on Monday. We an animal crackers box from Sam's Club to build our little mailbox. Then we stopped at Hobby Lobby and picked out 2 sheets of blue poster board. (On sale for a total of about $2) Who knew there were so many shades of blue to pick from!?! Jacey loved the electric blue though. So we glued and taped the poster board to the box to cover it, making the little arch out of the top, then cutting a slot in the side big enough for his hand to easily reach in and out. I printed up and pasted on some logos I found by doing a google image search.
Hobby Lobby also had a denim satchel type bag on clearance for $3 and a little foam hat for $0.99. This picture doesn't show it but we used some white stick on felt to write MAIL on the bag and MAILMAN on the hat. When Jacey puts on his mailman uniform, he "requires" that everyone call him Sir. Don't you dare call him Sir when he's not wearing it though!
I also found a sorting/filing box at Office Depot for $13. We put each family member's name on the slots so that he could write letters and deliver it to their individual boxes. I put together a box of envelopes, postcards, paper, markers, sticky backed foam shaped like stamps, and To: and From: stickers and he went to town. I explained to him how people write the letters, put on the address labels and stamps, then drop it in the box. Then the mailman (or woman) comes along and sorts it and later delivers it. He practiced this all week and was quite the stickler when daddy didn't do it in the proper order.
Hobby Lobby also had a denim satchel type bag on clearance for $3 and a little foam hat for $0.99. This picture doesn't show it but we used some white stick on felt to write MAIL on the bag and MAILMAN on the hat. When Jacey puts on his mailman uniform, he "requires" that everyone call him Sir. Don't you dare call him Sir when he's not wearing it though!
I also found a sorting/filing box at Office Depot for $13. We put each family member's name on the slots so that he could write letters and deliver it to their individual boxes. I put together a box of envelopes, postcards, paper, markers, sticky backed foam shaped like stamps, and To: and From: stickers and he went to town. I explained to him how people write the letters, put on the address labels and stamps, then drop it in the box. Then the mailman (or woman) comes along and sorts it and later delivers it. He practiced this all week and was quite the stickler when daddy didn't do it in the proper order.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Post Office
This week, our homeschooling group is taking a trip to the Post Office to get a tour and learn about the mail system and such. So, we're focusing this week on the post office and mail. Here are some ideas. Post your great ideas too!
Create a mini post office in your home. Create a post office center with boxes or anything else you already have on hand. Each family member should get a slot with their name on it. Set up a writing center stocked with stickers that resemble stamps, mailing labels, envelopes, and ink stamps. Encourage everyone in the family to write little notes to one another. If there are family members not in the house but that you see regularly, you can even have a box for them and encourage your child to "deliver the mail" to them with your assistance.
How the Mail Works
From EverythingPreschool.com
Talk to your child about how the mail works. Tell them that it is all just a big matching game. The sorters match the city/zip code to the proper location. Then the mailman sorts them and matches (delivers) them to the proper address.
Scales for Mail
Bring in scales and let your child weigh mail (and boxes you provide) just like they do in the post office. They can then add correct postage (how much they feel it should have) For added fun have them deliver the packages to different areas of the home.
Make a Mailbox
Brighthub has a pretty cute design for making a mailbox. You can do the letter recognition with it or just use the box as a sample.
Create a mini post office in your home. Create a post office center with boxes or anything else you already have on hand. Each family member should get a slot with their name on it. Set up a writing center stocked with stickers that resemble stamps, mailing labels, envelopes, and ink stamps. Encourage everyone in the family to write little notes to one another. If there are family members not in the house but that you see regularly, you can even have a box for them and encourage your child to "deliver the mail" to them with your assistance.
How the Mail Works
From EverythingPreschool.com
Talk to your child about how the mail works. Tell them that it is all just a big matching game. The sorters match the city/zip code to the proper location. Then the mailman sorts them and matches (delivers) them to the proper address.
Scales for Mail
Bring in scales and let your child weigh mail (and boxes you provide) just like they do in the post office. They can then add correct postage (how much they feel it should have) For added fun have them deliver the packages to different areas of the home.
Make a Mailbox
Brighthub has a pretty cute design for making a mailbox. You can do the letter recognition with it or just use the box as a sample.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Alphabet Hunt
Here is a great idea from notimeforflashcards.com I can't wait to test it out on Lillie!
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2010/04/learn-on-the-go.html
Learn On The Go!
Alphabet Hunt
Since my son was tiny I have pointed out letters, signs, colors… now that he is too big and I am too pregnant to have him in the Ergo we still play this game. Today we went for coffee ( apple cider) and found lots of letter along the way. The small pad we used fits easily in my purse and also serves as a doodle pad if he’s getting antsy while we are out.
1. Gather your materials. You will need a pencil , a marker, and a pad of paper. Alphabet Hunt
2. Write the alphabet on your pad with your marker. You can do uppercase, lowercase or a mix! Alphabet Hunt
3. Go run your errands. When you have a chance find some letters. This sign was a gold mine! Alphabet Hunt
4. Don’t forget to check them off your list. Alphabet Hunt
5. A fun variation would be to take pictures of the letters, print them off and make a poster or book. Once my little guy is a little better with the camera we will be tackling this one.
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2010/04/learn-on-the-go.html
Learn On The Go!
Alphabet Hunt
Since my son was tiny I have pointed out letters, signs, colors… now that he is too big and I am too pregnant to have him in the Ergo we still play this game. Today we went for coffee ( apple cider) and found lots of letter along the way. The small pad we used fits easily in my purse and also serves as a doodle pad if he’s getting antsy while we are out.
1. Gather your materials. You will need a pencil , a marker, and a pad of paper. Alphabet Hunt
2. Write the alphabet on your pad with your marker. You can do uppercase, lowercase or a mix! Alphabet Hunt
3. Go run your errands. When you have a chance find some letters. This sign was a gold mine! Alphabet Hunt
4. Don’t forget to check them off your list. Alphabet Hunt
5. A fun variation would be to take pictures of the letters, print them off and make a poster or book. Once my little guy is a little better with the camera we will be tackling this one.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Week 2 Lesson Bb
Surprise your child by introducing Bobby Bear in the following way. Cut out bear tracks and put them on the floor leading to a basket full of things that begin with the letter "b." Introduce the letter B by printing up a card with the letter Bb and a picture of an bear. Bobby Bear is an animal whose name begins with the letter "b."
Literature: Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.
Make a stop at your library if you don't own it. After reading the book, encourage your child to identify things in their environment that begin with the letter "b." You can do this while out shopping, driving, etc. You can even do it in the sing song style of the book, "Child's Name, Child's Name, what do you see?" They may or may not stick to the letter "b" but when it's your turn, you can do "b" stuff. It'll be good practice for them on any of the letters.
Music: BINGO, The Bear Went Over the Mountain, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Sing the songs and talk about the letter.
Language: Introducing "big"
Talk about comparisons and how some things are big and some things are little. Big begins with "b." Have your child tell you all the things they can think of that are big.
Language: Patterns
Teach your child the rhyme: "B begins Bobby, B begins Bear, B begins __________, everywhere." Let them fill in the blank and be creative. For very young ones, you may have to help them out to get this. If they can't do it, let them hear you do it.
Cooking: Blueberry-banana smoothies
Let the children participate in making blueberry- banana smoothies. Show children that blueberries and bananas begin with the letter B. Your child can wash the berries and chop the banana then pour all of the ingredients into a blender. 1.5 cups skim milk, 3/4 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/2 of a sliced banana, and 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries makes 3 servings. Blend well.
Craft project: Binoculars
Materials—2 toilet tissue tubes, 3 feet of yarn, masking tape, colorful paper or tape
Cover each tube in the colorful paper or tape. Tie a knot in the end of the yarn. Place the two tubes together with one end of the string on each side. Tape around the yarn and the tubes to hold them together. Wind the tape around them several times.
Science & PE: Study birds, butterflies, bugs, and bees
Take a nature walk and search for birds, butterflies, bugs, and bees. They can use their binoculars too for a little pretend play. Talk about the colors and sounds these critters make and see if you can hear them. Encourage them to use their senses to hear, smell, and see the letter "b" in nature. Encourage your child to look at the critters carefully and tell you what they see.
Art: Butterfly blobs
Cover your workspace carefully with tablecloth or newspaper. Get a large piece of paper and fold it in half. The larger, the better. Help your child squirt big blobs of paint in bright colors on one side only of the paper. You might want to limit your child to about 3 colors for best results. Try day glow colors if you want. After you've added the paint to one side, fold it over and let the kids squeeze and mash the colors together as they push the paint with their hands to the outer edge. When they have finished, open it up and let it dry. The page will be symmetrical and you can discuss that for a math/science lesson. After the paint dries, fold it back over again and cut in the shape of a butterfly. Add a stick or hang from the ceiling.
Art & language: Feely letters
Make the letter "b" out of beans. Start with printing out or writing a big and little b on the page. Let your child put down glue on the letter and then paste the beans onto the lines. Great for hand eye coordination.
Science & PE: Balance
Set up a simple balance beam in your yard with two bricks and a widish plank of wood. Get your toddler to walk across this. As they begin to master it you can add a second stack of bricks or a narrower plank. You can also just look for opportunities at the park and such to encourage your child to walk on places where they can practice balance.
Physical Education: Bean bag games
Throwing and catching bean bags is often much easier for this age group than balls which tend to run away. You can throw these to one another, your toddler can throw them into a wash basket, over a rope or onto a hole in a cardboard box for variety.
Math: Classify buttons, beads, or beans
Give your child a big bowl full of a variety of items in different colors, shapes, sizes, etc. I have a huge bag of rubber dinos, bugs, butterflies, etc. Give them a cupcake tin and let them sort them likes with likes. For variety and more difficulty, give them a pair of cheater chopsticks to pick the items up with. (You can get these free at somewhere like Tokyo Steakhouse.
Language: A Tisket, a tasket, a beginning sounds basket
Materials—Index cards, marker or pen, small basket
Here's an "office" activity that encourages children to practice letter sounds. Make letter cards (you may already have these at home) by writing the big and little letters on each index card. Give the child one card and have them say a word that begins with the same letter. After giving a word with the correct beginning sound, the child drops the card in the "in-basket" If the child's word does not have the correct first-letter sounds, put the card aside and continue with the other cards. To make this fun, you can leave it by the front door or bathroom and do a couple every time you go in or out that door.
Literature: Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.
Make a stop at your library if you don't own it. After reading the book, encourage your child to identify things in their environment that begin with the letter "b." You can do this while out shopping, driving, etc. You can even do it in the sing song style of the book, "Child's Name, Child's Name, what do you see?" They may or may not stick to the letter "b" but when it's your turn, you can do "b" stuff. It'll be good practice for them on any of the letters.
Music: BINGO, The Bear Went Over the Mountain, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Sing the songs and talk about the letter.
Language: Introducing "big"
Talk about comparisons and how some things are big and some things are little. Big begins with "b." Have your child tell you all the things they can think of that are big.
Language: Patterns
Teach your child the rhyme: "B begins Bobby, B begins Bear, B begins __________, everywhere." Let them fill in the blank and be creative. For very young ones, you may have to help them out to get this. If they can't do it, let them hear you do it.
Cooking: Blueberry-banana smoothies
Let the children participate in making blueberry- banana smoothies. Show children that blueberries and bananas begin with the letter B. Your child can wash the berries and chop the banana then pour all of the ingredients into a blender. 1.5 cups skim milk, 3/4 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/2 of a sliced banana, and 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries makes 3 servings. Blend well.
Craft project: Binoculars
Materials—2 toilet tissue tubes, 3 feet of yarn, masking tape, colorful paper or tape
Cover each tube in the colorful paper or tape. Tie a knot in the end of the yarn. Place the two tubes together with one end of the string on each side. Tape around the yarn and the tubes to hold them together. Wind the tape around them several times.
Science & PE: Study birds, butterflies, bugs, and bees
Take a nature walk and search for birds, butterflies, bugs, and bees. They can use their binoculars too for a little pretend play. Talk about the colors and sounds these critters make and see if you can hear them. Encourage them to use their senses to hear, smell, and see the letter "b" in nature. Encourage your child to look at the critters carefully and tell you what they see.
Art: Butterfly blobs
Cover your workspace carefully with tablecloth or newspaper. Get a large piece of paper and fold it in half. The larger, the better. Help your child squirt big blobs of paint in bright colors on one side only of the paper. You might want to limit your child to about 3 colors for best results. Try day glow colors if you want. After you've added the paint to one side, fold it over and let the kids squeeze and mash the colors together as they push the paint with their hands to the outer edge. When they have finished, open it up and let it dry. The page will be symmetrical and you can discuss that for a math/science lesson. After the paint dries, fold it back over again and cut in the shape of a butterfly. Add a stick or hang from the ceiling.
Art & language: Feely letters
Make the letter "b" out of beans. Start with printing out or writing a big and little b on the page. Let your child put down glue on the letter and then paste the beans onto the lines. Great for hand eye coordination.
Science & PE: Balance
Set up a simple balance beam in your yard with two bricks and a widish plank of wood. Get your toddler to walk across this. As they begin to master it you can add a second stack of bricks or a narrower plank. You can also just look for opportunities at the park and such to encourage your child to walk on places where they can practice balance.
Physical Education: Bean bag games
Throwing and catching bean bags is often much easier for this age group than balls which tend to run away. You can throw these to one another, your toddler can throw them into a wash basket, over a rope or onto a hole in a cardboard box for variety.
Math: Classify buttons, beads, or beans
Give your child a big bowl full of a variety of items in different colors, shapes, sizes, etc. I have a huge bag of rubber dinos, bugs, butterflies, etc. Give them a cupcake tin and let them sort them likes with likes. For variety and more difficulty, give them a pair of cheater chopsticks to pick the items up with. (You can get these free at somewhere like Tokyo Steakhouse.
Language: A Tisket, a tasket, a beginning sounds basket
Materials—Index cards, marker or pen, small basket
Here's an "office" activity that encourages children to practice letter sounds. Make letter cards (you may already have these at home) by writing the big and little letters on each index card. Give the child one card and have them say a word that begins with the same letter. After giving a word with the correct beginning sound, the child drops the card in the "in-basket" If the child's word does not have the correct first-letter sounds, put the card aside and continue with the other cards. To make this fun, you can leave it by the front door or bathroom and do a couple every time you go in or out that door.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Interesting Homeschooling Articles
No lessons this week since we're on holiday with the kiddos. We'll be visiting the outdoor classroom of Sea World, the zoo, the Mexican market, possibly Enchanted Springs, and loads of time with our cousins!
Here is the first of a 3-part series my husband came across online. It's quite long but I found it very poignant.
Confessions of a home-schooler
Some bits I loved...
"After various tense conversations with friends, family members and strangers, Leslie and I have concluded that earnest, heartfelt discussion of exactly how we're approaching our kids' education and why we're doing it is a bad idea. For reasons I can about halfway understand, other parents often seem to feel attacked by our eccentric choices. I guess this is what it's like to be a vegan, or a Mennonite convert. I can certainly remember having a weirdly defensive response ("You know, I hardly ever eat red meat"), one where I reacted to someone else's comment about themselves as if it were really all about me."
"As Alicia Bayer, a Minnesota home-schooler and blogger who's one of Leslie's online mentors, puts it, "People think we're all conservative Christians who hate the government and wear denim jumpers."
Here is the first of a 3-part series my husband came across online. It's quite long but I found it very poignant.
Confessions of a home-schooler
Some bits I loved...
"After various tense conversations with friends, family members and strangers, Leslie and I have concluded that earnest, heartfelt discussion of exactly how we're approaching our kids' education and why we're doing it is a bad idea. For reasons I can about halfway understand, other parents often seem to feel attacked by our eccentric choices. I guess this is what it's like to be a vegan, or a Mennonite convert. I can certainly remember having a weirdly defensive response ("You know, I hardly ever eat red meat"), one where I reacted to someone else's comment about themselves as if it were really all about me."
"As Alicia Bayer, a Minnesota home-schooler and blogger who's one of Leslie's online mentors, puts it, "People think we're all conservative Christians who hate the government and wear denim jumpers."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cooking lesson: Ditching applesauce for cuppy cakes
Alright, so the applesauce idea is a lame one. I knew it as I typed it but the book suggested it for "A" and who am I to argue!?! Well, Jacey loves to cook and he's really been missing his cooking class so I didn't have the heart to tell him we were going to cook today and then ask him to scoop jarred applesauce into a cup. On top of that, he told me today, only 2 days into the letter "A," "Momma, A's done. Let's do Brown Bear or bumble bee." So, we had some bananas and we whipped up these delicious Banana Cupcakes. They are divine. 8 Weight Watcher points but worth it!
Don't be afraid to let your kids measure, pour, mix, and break eggs. You'll be surprised how quickly they catch on. I recommend demonstrating the correct way to do it first and then letting them do it their way after having seen what it is supposed to look like. Also, since you're only sharing these with family, lots of tastes along the way. Jacey decided some time ago that flour isn't for him! Ha!
Banana Cupcakes
Makes 18
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 medium ripe bananas
1/3 c. buttermilk
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat to 350. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Mash bananas and buttermilk in another bowl. Separately, cream butter and sugar together with mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs to sugar/butter mix. Add flour mix and banana mix alternately to sugar/butter just until blended. Stir in vanilla at end. Spoon into liners and bake 15 to 20 mins.
Icing
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (softened)
1 box (16 oz.) powdered sugar
a touch of vanilla
Mix all ingredients with mixer. Put into ziplock bag. Snip tip and pipe onto cupcakes.
Don't be afraid to let your kids measure, pour, mix, and break eggs. You'll be surprised how quickly they catch on. I recommend demonstrating the correct way to do it first and then letting them do it their way after having seen what it is supposed to look like. Also, since you're only sharing these with family, lots of tastes along the way. Jacey decided some time ago that flour isn't for him! Ha!
Banana Cupcakes
Makes 18
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 medium ripe bananas
1/3 c. buttermilk
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat to 350. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Mash bananas and buttermilk in another bowl. Separately, cream butter and sugar together with mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs to sugar/butter mix. Add flour mix and banana mix alternately to sugar/butter just until blended. Stir in vanilla at end. Spoon into liners and bake 15 to 20 mins.
Icing
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (softened)
1 box (16 oz.) powdered sugar
a touch of vanilla
Mix all ingredients with mixer. Put into ziplock bag. Snip tip and pipe onto cupcakes.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Lesson Aa: Letter Lion
So we worked on our letter lion after church today. I wanted him to be bigger than a sheet of paper so I split him up into 4 parts and printed him up on 4 sheets of white cardstock. Jacey helped me use the cutter to trim him out. I cut out his mouth (you'll likely have to make his mouth a bit larger, depending on what kind of letter cards you're using). We cut a hole where his mouth would be on the bag and taped him to a huge paper Chili's bag because I couldn't find an appropriate box. Jacey had so much fun feeding the lion! I used a set of alphabet cards I bought at the dollar store. I'm putting picks of the final and of the lion pieces here for you to use. I hope that's ok... I just did a google search for the lion so not sure about copyright.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Week 1 Lesson: Aa
All of these lessons are meant to be used throughout the week, just whenever it fits into your schedule. To me, it is more important to have fun with it and pay attention to your child's cues. If they aren't into the lesson, try again later. Also, if they aren't quite getting it, modify it to fit their needs.
Language Arts: Big A, little a
Materials—Paper
Introduce the letter A by printing up a card with the letter Aa and a picture of an alligator. Alligator Ann is an animal whose name begins with the short "a" sound.
Music: ABC Song (Learning Letters)
Work on the ABC song sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If they don't know the song, work on it until all the lines are memorized. Sing the song throughout the day as you do things. Even if your child doesn't sing with you, they will listen and pick it up.
Music: Ants go Marching
Sing the song and talk about the letter.
Science: Alligators, ants, astronauts, acorns
Study alligators. Go to the library and check out age appropriate books about alligators, etc.
Cooking: Applesauce
Applesauce begins with A. Show them the letter on the jar of sauce. Let them wash up, set a place with napkin and spoon, serve applesauce for snack time, and clean up the dishes. Use a play/pretend set (like the tea party dishes) for extra whimsy. Ask them what letter applesauce begins with and what applesauce is made from.
Math: Graphing apples
Print up a page full of varying sizes of apples. Let the kids color them and decorate them with whatever graft supplies you have on hand. If your kids are old enough for safety scissors, help them cut out the apples and sort them according to size.
Language Arts: Letter Lion (Letter Recognition)
Materials—box, paper, markers, scissors, letter cards (buy these or make them yourself, I like the cards that have both the big and little letter on them)
On the paper, draw a large lion's head. Cut a big hole for the mouth. Put the lion's head on the box with a hole cut in the position of the lion's mouth. You can hang the lion from a door, if you want. In order to feed the lion, the child will take a letter card and identify the letter. If the child gives the correct answer, the drop the card into the lion's mouth. If they miss it, just put the card at the back of the pile so they can do it again later. Here's how we made ours.
Physical education: Pretend play
Play at being airplanes, ants, alligators, apes, angels, aliens, etc. Play the Simon Says game with the new "a" words you've learned. Have the kids walk slowly or fast from one point to another while they pretend to be all of these things.
Physical education/science: Nature walk and acorn art
Materials—plastic sandwich bag, paper, aprons, tempera paint, small bowls, trays/cake pans
Take a nature walk and search for acorns. Talk about how acorns begin with letter "a". Point out ants or other things that begin with the letter "a." Encourage your child to collect as many acorns as will fit in the bag. Explain that acorns are a kind of nut that people do not eat but that some animals like to eat. Talk about which animals they think might eat acorns. Birds, mice, squirrels, etc. Even pigs, bears, and deer eat acorns. Take the acorns back. Put on your "a"prons and place the acorns in a bowl with a bit of paint. Roll them around to coat. Place a sheet of paper in the bottom of a cake pan (trim the paper, if necessary). Drop the coated acorns onto the paper and shake the pan from side to side to make acorn (like marble) drawings.
Social studies: Astronauts
Talk about what an astronaut is, explaining in your own words and words your child will understand. An astronaut is someone who travels in space. Space is way up high, past where regular airplanes can fly. Airplanes cannot fly into space. Astronauts ride in rockets or spaceships to get to space. You have to wear a special suit to travel into space. The suit is called a space suit. Play Astronaut, Astronaut, Alien just like duck, duck, goose. Print up a picture from the internet of an astronaut and let your child color/paint it.
Language Arts: Big A, little a
Materials—Paper
Introduce the letter A by printing up a card with the letter Aa and a picture of an alligator. Alligator Ann is an animal whose name begins with the short "a" sound.
Music: ABC Song (Learning Letters)
Work on the ABC song sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If they don't know the song, work on it until all the lines are memorized. Sing the song throughout the day as you do things. Even if your child doesn't sing with you, they will listen and pick it up.
Music: Ants go Marching
Sing the song and talk about the letter.
Science: Alligators, ants, astronauts, acorns
Study alligators. Go to the library and check out age appropriate books about alligators, etc.
Cooking: Applesauce
Applesauce begins with A. Show them the letter on the jar of sauce. Let them wash up, set a place with napkin and spoon, serve applesauce for snack time, and clean up the dishes. Use a play/pretend set (like the tea party dishes) for extra whimsy. Ask them what letter applesauce begins with and what applesauce is made from.
Math: Graphing apples
Print up a page full of varying sizes of apples. Let the kids color them and decorate them with whatever graft supplies you have on hand. If your kids are old enough for safety scissors, help them cut out the apples and sort them according to size.
Language Arts: Letter Lion (Letter Recognition)
Materials—box, paper, markers, scissors, letter cards (buy these or make them yourself, I like the cards that have both the big and little letter on them)
On the paper, draw a large lion's head. Cut a big hole for the mouth. Put the lion's head on the box with a hole cut in the position of the lion's mouth. You can hang the lion from a door, if you want. In order to feed the lion, the child will take a letter card and identify the letter. If the child gives the correct answer, the drop the card into the lion's mouth. If they miss it, just put the card at the back of the pile so they can do it again later. Here's how we made ours.
Physical education: Pretend play
Play at being airplanes, ants, alligators, apes, angels, aliens, etc. Play the Simon Says game with the new "a" words you've learned. Have the kids walk slowly or fast from one point to another while they pretend to be all of these things.
Physical education/science: Nature walk and acorn art
Materials—plastic sandwich bag, paper, aprons, tempera paint, small bowls, trays/cake pans
Take a nature walk and search for acorns. Talk about how acorns begin with letter "a". Point out ants or other things that begin with the letter "a." Encourage your child to collect as many acorns as will fit in the bag. Explain that acorns are a kind of nut that people do not eat but that some animals like to eat. Talk about which animals they think might eat acorns. Birds, mice, squirrels, etc. Even pigs, bears, and deer eat acorns. Take the acorns back. Put on your "a"prons and place the acorns in a bowl with a bit of paint. Roll them around to coat. Place a sheet of paper in the bottom of a cake pan (trim the paper, if necessary). Drop the coated acorns onto the paper and shake the pan from side to side to make acorn (like marble) drawings.
Social studies: Astronauts
Talk about what an astronaut is, explaining in your own words and words your child will understand. An astronaut is someone who travels in space. Space is way up high, past where regular airplanes can fly. Airplanes cannot fly into space. Astronauts ride in rockets or spaceships to get to space. You have to wear a special suit to travel into space. The suit is called a space suit. Play Astronaut, Astronaut, Alien just like duck, duck, goose. Print up a picture from the internet of an astronaut and let your child color/paint it.
How it began: The idea
From the beginning, we have been following our hearts in raising our kids. When I say we, I mean myself and my three co-parents--my husband, my sister, and my brother-in-law. Maybe I should go back to the beginning and tell it all as I see it.
I was raised in a small West Texas town in the 80s-90s where keeping up with the Joneses was par for the course. None of the parents I knew were particularly worried about making connections every day, moment on top of moment, with their children. Having kids was just something our parents did, something expected of them. I'm not saying they weren't great parents or didn't love us... I'm just saying that from my perspective, there wasn't a whole lot of freedom in their choices.
My sister and I wanted something different. We never even imagined that it would bring us to this place and frankly, we didn't care. We didn't set out to homeschool. We never even heard of Attachment Parenting. The only thing we did on purpose was to follow our hearts and trust our instincts. So, the most important thing I think we ever did was to wait. We waited to have children until we were in a good financial place. We waited until we'd sort of sewn our wild oats, climbed the corporate ladder, seen the world (so to speak). We waited until we were in a place of freedom to choose.
We are blessed with husbands who love us and all of our insane, sometimes brilliant, ideas. We are blessed with husbands that are full partners in this journey with us. We are blessed with parents and siblings and extended family that are supportive and giving and available. On top of all that, we were blessed with each other, my sister and I. And so, when she told me she was pregnant, my husband and I got right to work. 9 months later, she gave birth to our beautiful Lillie and almost 3 months after that, my amazing Jacey was born. We set out right away just doing what felt right. We breastfed, we strapped the babies to us wherever we went, we paid attention to their cues, we co-slept, etc. etc. We did a million things that we never imagined doing. We found ourselves identifying more and more every day with that group we'd always called "crunchy granola."
And then, one day, I realized that all my plans for sending Jacey off to school and having another child that I could bond with while he was in Kindergarten, just didn't feel right anymore. I couldn't imagine sending him off to school to learn from people that may or may not have his best interest at heart. I couldn't imagine not seeing his face the first time he learned about butterflies and the awesome transformation they make. I just thought of all the things that I would be missing, that someone else would probably not even notice or appreciate, if he was in school away from me. And so I started doing research.
And here we are. Just doing what feels right for our family. Searching, like so many other parents, for the answers that sometimes come easy and are sometimes elusive. For me and mine though, at the heart of it all, is a need to revel in connections with one another. We will go to the ends of the earth (or just Round Rock, Texas) to make this happen. We will follow our hearts, not even giving audience to boundaries that might take us from our goals.
I was raised in a small West Texas town in the 80s-90s where keeping up with the Joneses was par for the course. None of the parents I knew were particularly worried about making connections every day, moment on top of moment, with their children. Having kids was just something our parents did, something expected of them. I'm not saying they weren't great parents or didn't love us... I'm just saying that from my perspective, there wasn't a whole lot of freedom in their choices.
My sister and I wanted something different. We never even imagined that it would bring us to this place and frankly, we didn't care. We didn't set out to homeschool. We never even heard of Attachment Parenting. The only thing we did on purpose was to follow our hearts and trust our instincts. So, the most important thing I think we ever did was to wait. We waited to have children until we were in a good financial place. We waited until we'd sort of sewn our wild oats, climbed the corporate ladder, seen the world (so to speak). We waited until we were in a place of freedom to choose.
We are blessed with husbands who love us and all of our insane, sometimes brilliant, ideas. We are blessed with husbands that are full partners in this journey with us. We are blessed with parents and siblings and extended family that are supportive and giving and available. On top of all that, we were blessed with each other, my sister and I. And so, when she told me she was pregnant, my husband and I got right to work. 9 months later, she gave birth to our beautiful Lillie and almost 3 months after that, my amazing Jacey was born. We set out right away just doing what felt right. We breastfed, we strapped the babies to us wherever we went, we paid attention to their cues, we co-slept, etc. etc. We did a million things that we never imagined doing. We found ourselves identifying more and more every day with that group we'd always called "crunchy granola."
And then, one day, I realized that all my plans for sending Jacey off to school and having another child that I could bond with while he was in Kindergarten, just didn't feel right anymore. I couldn't imagine sending him off to school to learn from people that may or may not have his best interest at heart. I couldn't imagine not seeing his face the first time he learned about butterflies and the awesome transformation they make. I just thought of all the things that I would be missing, that someone else would probably not even notice or appreciate, if he was in school away from me. And so I started doing research.
And here we are. Just doing what feels right for our family. Searching, like so many other parents, for the answers that sometimes come easy and are sometimes elusive. For me and mine though, at the heart of it all, is a need to revel in connections with one another. We will go to the ends of the earth (or just Round Rock, Texas) to make this happen. We will follow our hearts, not even giving audience to boundaries that might take us from our goals.
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